By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The St. Joseph Police department is warning the public of a wave of scams.
Captain Jeff Wilson says the department wants residents, and particularly the elderly, to be aware of these criminals targeting them
“in some form of fashion they ask for a payment to be made to them, basically they state that they have had to much money put into their account,” Wilson tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “Whether it be a Paypal account or some other form of an account and that money needs to be returned.”
Wilson says the scammers ask for this money to be returned in gift cards or bitcoin, and even recently by meeting face to face with cash.
Wilson says they want residents to be aware of these scams so they can avoid falling victim
“You know meeting in person can become very dangerous, but as well I’ve seen several victims that have been taken for a substantial amount of money and we just don’t want to see that for our folks in the community, especially our elderly folks,” Wilson explains.
Wilson says these scams come in ebbs and flows.
“There’s definitely times throughout the year where they seem more prevalent than others, and like I said we’ve seen multiple reports here within a short time frame of them taking place,” Wilson says. “Like I said, there’s rise and fall to it, but I think we’re going into a busy season for it right now.”
Wilson says if you or someone you know has heard one of these scams, contact your bank to verify if what you are being told is true.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
